Want to get your workout over with as quickly as possible? Perhaps Tabata is for you. While some sing the praises of this 4-minute wonder workout, others say it’s one of the toughest you can do.
Sure, it’s fast, but it also requires going all-in to actually see results. In other words, you can expect to be short of breath and completely exhausted after the 4 minutes are up. Some people even become nauseated. If you’re doing it right, you should be feeling it.
If you’re trying to reap all the benefits of Tabata, it requires some serious intensity. Ideally, you should pick a couple of cardio activities like jump squats, lunges, running, or burpees. For twenty seconds, you’ll give it your all with these activities. We mean really go hard. Then, you’ll rest for the next ten seconds.
Next, repeat the routine – twenty seconds of cardio and ten seconds of rest – seven more times.
Feel free to change up the cardio moves as you see fit. The main thing is to give it 100 percent every time. After four minutes, you should feel quite exhausted.
Try to work a routine like this into your fitness schedule at least a few times a week. Before long, you’ll realize the worth of Tabata.
Even though it’s just a four-minute workout, we know it can be draining, but the results are definitely worth it. Just a single Tabata session can have major benefits like increasing anaerobic capacity, resting metabolic rate, and VO2 max.
Plus, it can burn more fat than an hour on a treadmill. Yep, you can condense an hour’s worth of running into 4 minutes of high-intensity interval training.
1. Do what’s comfortable. If you’re not ready to start doing burpees right off the bat, try jumping rope or sprinting.
2. Take some time to warm up and cool down. After your workout, we highly recommend doing some light stretches.
3. Check out YouTube. Not sure what to do? There are lots of great videos on YouTube that can help you get started with Tabata.
4. Use a timer. Forget trying to keep track of the reps in your head, it’s much easier to use a timer. Plus, it’s also way less distracting.
5. Snag a smartphone app. Alternatively, there are also some great Tabata apps for both iOS and Android. We especially love the Tabata Timer from Tabata Pro.
